Asus' new Eee PC 1004DN adds an optical drive

A Netbook with an optical drive. It's almost like a real computer...

It's one of those things we knew we'd see sooner or later. Someone has managed to cram an optical drive into a tiny Netbook frame, and not surprisingly, Netbook pioneer Asus is behind the new system.

Dubbed the Eee PC 1004DN, it's a 10-inch Netbook with an Express Card slot, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and a DVD burner. Judging from the photos, it also has the same revamped keyboard as the recent .

No word yet on price and availability, but we suspect this is another attempt to drive consumers towards slightly more expensive Netbooks, which aren't exactly high-margin items at $350-$499.

Check out the official specs after the break:

Display	10" wide active matrix LED backlight TFT, WSVGA 1024x600 pixels, 252K colors max
Dimensions	277mm x 194mm x 27.4-34mm
Weight	1.45kg with HDD (with 6-cell battery and ODD)
Battery	Li-Ion 57.72WHrs - 6 cells, 5200mAh
Processor	Intel? N280 1.66GHz Processor with 512k L2 Cache FSB 667MHz 2.5W TBP thermal
Chipset	Intel GN40 ICH9Mb (Integrated GMA 4500M graphics core)
Main Memory	1 x SODIMM socket for expansion up to 2GB DDRII DRAM
Storage	Up to 1.8" PATA 120GB, 4200 RPM
Communications	Built-in Bluetooth? v2.1 module 802.11n Support Antenna x 2
Camera	1.3 Megapixel Video Camera
Microphone	Array Mic
Keyboard	Keyboard: W:254mm chiclet type
Audio	Hi-Definition Audio CODEC Built-in high quality stereo speakers

[checodaman]

Woa. Ive always wanted a netbook but the dealbreaker was no DVD drive. Built in BT2.x ? That might have taken the heartburn I had about buying a netbook away...mmmm.

[smb4]

Let me remind you that Fujitsu did it over 5 yrs ago with P series. My P7010 has 120gb 5400 rpm drive, has multilayer dvd burner and screen resolution 1280x768 in a 10.6" screen while weighing mere 3.3 lbs with battery life up to 4 hrs.

[viper396]

The Fujitsu P7010 averaged for around $1100 at the low end. That puts it out of the low-cost Netboot market.

Either way, this is business not a track-n-field event. Who did it first doesn't matter. Who does it better and cheaper is what counts and is all consumers really care about.

[smb4]

remember you get what u paid for.My P7010 lasted me for 5 yrs so far and survived a tour in Korea and 15 month deployment to Iraq. I can't say the same about my friends HPs and Dells

[viper396]

Ahh, the typical "I have friends..." argument.

Your personal experience is pointless to other people, it doesn't imply everyone willl have the same results. In this whole world there are plenty of people with old Dell or HP laptops that still run fine. Likewise there are plenty that don't, including many Fujitsu's. In the end the amount paid makes no tangible difference on longevity.

Maintenance, care, handling, and even a little luck has more tangible influence on the longevity of hardware then the amount paid.

[streamline35]

Agree with viper 100%. Consumer reports survey of ~65,000 computer users revealed that all computer brands have failure rates without a few percentage points of each other (it hovers just below 20%). And as for personal stories, my 3 year old dell inspiron laptop is still running strong.

[lovehandle]

I have the ASUS 1000HE and loving it. Lightweight, boots fast, WinXP, did I mention lightweight and portable?

Anyway, I owned many laptops in the past. I find that the only time I needed an optical drive was during install of new software. The solution is to network the optical drive on your existing desktop or laptop.

Otherwise, I never need an optical drive on my netbook.

I carry my ASUS 1000HE everywhere.

[streamline35]

Eh, that's neat, but not really a big deal to me. Not once have I ever actually needed to use a CD for my MSI wind. And if for some reason I did, I could always just mount my desktop disk drive onto the wind.

[risingjsun]

http://blog.laptopmag.com/asus-eee-pc-e1004dn-official-but-not-planned-for-statewide-landing

Credit goes to portablemonkey.com for refering this article.